CEBU CITY – Dapitan City is one of the participants in the ongoing Dive Resort Travel Show in Hong Kong.
The expo started on Friday, Dec. 13, and will end on Sunday, Dec. 15.
THE Dapitan City delegation led by City Tourism officer Apple Marie Agolong (second from right) gathers in a booth showcasing the Dakak Park and Beach Resort at the Dive Resort Travel Show in Hong Kong. (Contributed photo)
Headed by City Tourism Officer Apple Marie Agolong, Dapitan is showcasing the Dakak Park and Beach Resort, the only resort in the city that offers diving.
“Dapitan is known as a place where each member of the family has something to get interested in and diving is among the things that visitors can enjoy in the city,” said Agolong.
A sprawling golf course inside the Dakak Park and Beach Resort is also being showcased in the expo.
“It is an 18-hole golf course and each hole offers a magnificent view of the ocean,” said Agolong.
Dapitan is the sole participant in the expo offering fly and dive where visitors can go to the island via chopper or take the pump boat.
“We have been joining the Dive Resort and Travel Show since 2015 for Dapitan to get a chunk of the number of divers coming into the Philippines because indeed, there is a lot to see in Dapitan. Aside from marine life, Dapitan is a route for circumnavigation of expeditions done by Portuguese, Spaniards, and European countries,” Agolong added.
Agolong said that a sunken carrack found off Dapitan has been attracting Chinese divers.
Aside from luring tourists to explore Dapitan’s dive sites, Agolong said that they joined the expo to bring investors to Dapitan.
“We are also taking this opportunity to invite investors to invest in Dapitan diving. We invited all investors because truly, there are a lot of investments that can be done in Dapitan,” said Agolong.
Councilor Joseph Ryan Agolong, Elmer Yongco, open-water dive instructor and manager of Dakak Park and Beach Resort dive center, and April Vianney Laput, resort corporate marketing manager, are part of the delegation.
Joseph Ryan, then a student, joined previous editions of the expo to represent his school as part of the anti-single plastic use campaign.
He will also attend seminars that will be held simultaneously with the expo where he could acquire some learnings that could help him craft ordinances in the city council.
Yongco encouraged visitors to get a glimpse of Dakak’s “underwater magic.”
“Dive into a kaleidoscope of stunning sites, vibrant coral reefs, thrilling wall dives, mysterious shipwrecks, and even underwater caves teeming with colorful critters. Each dive is a new story waiting to unfold,” Yongco said.
Laput showcased not just Dakak’s aquatic adventure but also its fusion of gastronomic delights.
"Treat your taste buds at our awesome restaurant and bars where local and international flavor await,” Laput said.